Device for transporting containers

ABSTRACT

A transporting device for containers, particularly containers carrying liquid tests, consists of a chain the links of which have recesses for receiving the containers. The invention is particularly characterized in that each recess of links consisting of resilient material, has a side opening the width of which is somewhat smaller than the container, so that the container is fixed in the recess when it is pressed through the opening.

United States Patent [1 1 Tschunt et al.

DEVICE FOR TRANSPORTING CONTAINERS Inventors: Edgar Tschunt, Erlangen;Werner Dittrich, Numberg, both of Germany Siemens Aktiengesellschaft,Erlangen, Germany Filed Nov. 9, 1971 Appl. No.: 197,110

Assignee:

Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 18, 1970 Germany, P 20 56 664.7

US. Cl. 198/131, 198/179 Int. Cl. B65g 15/00 Field of Search 198/131,179

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l/l916 Harders 198/179 Jan. 29,1974 2/1958 Henning 198/131 5/1970 Witte 198/131 PrimaryExaminer-Richard E. Aegerter Attorney, Agent, or Firm-V. Alexander Scheret al.

[57] ABSTRACT A transporting device for containers, particularlycontainers carrying liquid tests, consists of a chain the links of whichhave recesses for receiving the containers. The invention isparticularly characterized in that each recess of links consisting ofresilient material, has a side opening the width of which is somewhatsmaller than the container, so that the container is fixed in the recesswhen it is pressed through the opening.

2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures DEVICE FOR TRANSPORTING CONTAINERS Thisinvention relates to a transporting device for containers carryingliquid tests, the device consisting of a chain the links of which haverecesses for receiving the containers.

A transporting device of this type is used, for example, for theautomatic distribution and examination of liquid tests of a human body,such as blood tests. Test carrying containers filled in a dosing devicecan then be moved by the transporting device from a sorter for testcontainers which are'intended for the same examinations, to an analysingdevice.

A known transporting device of this type consists of members havingshoulders and openings, whereby a shoulder fits into an opening of theadjacent member and whereby two chain links are interconnected by a testcontainer forming a joint. In this transporting device it is thereforenecessary to push the test containers from above into alined bore holesof two adjacent chain links. This way of inserting containers is carriedout by a machine with a comparatively great exertion so that this knowntransporting device is hardly suited for the automatic filling anddistribution of test carrying containers.

It is also known to make chain links out of the test carrying containersin that each container is provided with a shoulder having an openinginto which the following container is inserted. The shoulder extends atsuch an angle that a straight transporting chain is formed. In thistransporting device as well, the joining of test carrying containers ispossible only with a substantial machine expenditure.

An object of the present invention is to improve existing devices byproviding a transporting device of the above-described type wherein thetest carrying containers can be introduced by a machine of acomparatively simple construction, so that the transporting device isalso well suited for automatic test examination.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in thecourse of the following specification.

In the accomplishment of the objectives. of the present invention it wasfound desirable to provide each recess of links consisting of aresilient material with a side opening the width of which is somewhatsmaller than the corresponding outer size of the container, so that thecontainer is fixed in the recess when it is pressed through the opening.Thus in accordance with the present invention the containers areconnected with the transporting device by being pressed sidewise intothe openings of the individual links of the transporting device. Thiscan be carried out in a simple manner by rams or the like.

An advantageous further improvement of the present invention consists inthat each hinge between two chain links has at least one pin guideconsisting of a pin fixed to one chain link and having a non-circularcrosssection and a corresponding bore extending over its entire lengthand provided in the other chain link, whereby the width of the slit isgreater than the smallest outer diameter of the pin and is smaller thanits largest outer diameter. The slit and the corresponding pin are solocated upon the chain links that two chain links can -be separated by aside-wise movement of the pin out of rated in a simple manner, while thelinks are held firmly together during transport.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detaileddescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingshowing by way'of example only, a preferred embodiment of the inventiveidea.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a transporting device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the device shown in FIG. 1; it also illustratessome of the test containers to be carried by the device.

The transporting device shown in the drawing consists of chain links 1which are pivotally interconnected by hinges. Each link has essentiallythe shape of a ho]- low cylinder provided with a longitudinal slit 2which constitutes a recess receiving an outwardly substantiallycylindrically shaped test carrying container 3. The width of the slits 2of the hollow cylindrical parts of the chain links 1 is somewhat smallerthan the outer diameter of the containers 3. Thus the containers 3 canbe connected with the transporting device by being pressed against theslits 2 of the links 1, for example, by rams 4 shown in FIG. 2. Thechain links 1 consist of a resilient material, for example, a resilientplastic material, so that the containers 3 are fixed in the recesses ofthe chain links 1 when they are pressed by rams 4 against the slits 2.

The connection of the containers 3 with the transporting device providedby the present invention can be carried out by simple means. Thus thedevice of the present invention is particularly suitable for theautomatic investigation of liquid tests, particularly for stopping thecontainers during filling and for transporting the filled containers toan analysing device or to a sorting device for such test carryingcontainers with which examinations of the same type are to be carriedout.

The hinge connections between the chain links 1 are provided by pins 5located upon one side of the links and guided in corresponding boreholes provided upon shoulders 6 located upon the other side of thelinks, and also by pins 7 which are not round and are provided upon oneside of the links; the pins 7 are guided incorresponding bore holes 8provided in shoulders 9 located upon the other side of the links. Thebore holes 8 are slit along their entire length. The width of the slits10 is larger than the smallest outer diameter of the pins 7 and it issmaller than the largest outer diameter of the pins 7. Furthermore, thepins 7 and the slits 10 are so located in the chain links 1 that theindividual chain links cannot be separated when they assume the positioncorresponding to that of the transporting device indicated by the arrow11 in FIG. 2. In order to separate two chain links they must be swungrelatively to each other until the pin 7 of one link is so locatedrelatively to the slit 10 of the other link that the pin can be removedthrough the slit 10. Thereupon the one link can be raised from the otherlink, whereby the pin 5 is withdrawn from the bore of the correspondingshoulder 6.

Thus the described connection between two chain links makes possible asimple division of the transporting device at any desired location ofthe chain, while the chain is safely held together during thetransportation of the test carrying containers. It is therefore possibleby simple means to separate a chain portion which,

for example, carries containers with tests intended for the same type ofexamination, from the rest of the chain constituting the transportingdevice.

Within the scope of the present invention it is also possible to arrangeseveral containers upon a single chain link. For that purpose each chainlink must be provided with recesses the number of which is equal to thatof the containers to be carried, whereby in the example illustrated therecesses have the shape of hollow cylinders due to the correspondingshape of the containers. Furthermore, within the scope of the presentinvention it is not necessary that the containers be pushed completelyinto the recesses of the chain links. it is also possible to provide thecontainers with holding means, such as grooves or projections fittinginto corresponding parts or recesses of the chain links.

4 What is claimed is:

l. A transporting device for containers, particularly for containersadapted to carry liquid samples, said device comprising a chain having aplurality of links, hinges detachably interconnecting said links, eachlink consisting of a resilient material and having an inner recessadapted to receive a container, each link further having a side openingcommunicating with said recess and having a width which is somewhatsmaller than the corresponding outer size of a container, whereby acontainer can be pushed into said recess through said opening, eachhinge comprising a pin connection consisting of a pin fixed to a linkand having a non-circular cross-section and a fully slit bore for thepin corresponding to said cross-section and located upon an adjacentlink, the width of said slit being greater than the smallest outerdiameter of said pin and being smaller than the greatest outer diameterof said pin, said pin and said slit being so located that removal ofsaid pin through said slit can take place only in a position of thelinks different from the transporting direction of the device.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein each hinge comprises a furtherpin fixed to one link and guided in a corresponding recess of the otherlink.

1. A transporting device for containers, particularly for containersadapted to carry liquid samples, said device comprising a chain having aplurality of links, hinges detachably interconnecting said links, eachlink consisting of a resilient material and having an inner recessadapted to receive a container, each link further having a side openingcommunicating with said recess and having a width which is somewhatsmaller than the corresponding outer size of a container, whereby acontainer can be pushed into said recess through said opening, eachhinge comprising a pin connection consisting of a pin fixed to a linkand having a non-circular cross-section and a fully slit bore for thepin corresponding to said cross-section and located upon an adjacentlink, the width of said slit being greater than the smallest outerdiameter of said pin and being smaller than the greatest outer diameterof said pin, said pin and said slit being so located that removal ofsaid pin through said slit can take place only in a position of thelinks different from the transporting direction of the device.
 2. Adevice according to claim 1, wherein each hinge comprises a further pinfixed to one link and guided in a corresponding recess of the otherlink.